Portsmouth brewer exits, Kate the Great’s reign ends

The Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth, N.H., announced today the resignation of Tod Mott, the beer maker’s head brewer and, most famously, the brains behind the much-coveted Kate the Great Imperial Stout. The brewery will no longer produce the beer, and former assistant brewer Tyler Jones will replace Mott.

Kate the Great, an annual brew whose release was celebrated with its own virtual holiday, was a boon for Portsmouth Brewery; with ratings of “100” from both RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com, the malt masterpiece was considered one of the country’s best beers. The brewery earned $16,000 on the March 5, 2012 release alone, not to mention another roughly $30,000 earmarked for charity from scratch-tickets sold in exchange for a chance to buy a bottle. Mott brought the recipe to Portsmouth eight years ago, and retains the rights to the recipe, but not the name.

“Tod came into Portsmouth Brewery with the imperial stout recipe and he’ll also leave with it; Portsmouth Brewery retains the rights to the intellectual property known as ‘Kate the Great,’ including the name and branding,” said the brewery in a press release. “Tod has plans to brew this beloved beer again, it’ll just have a different name. At the time of writing this release, future plans for Kate the Great have yet to be decided.”

Mott’s other creations, such as one of the region’s first wet-hopped ales, will remain in the brewery’s repertoire.

Mott’s last day is July 19, and the brewery plans to send Mott off with a toast and a torch-passing ceremony.